Shards of Ice
by Jade Bear
Summary: A collection of short drabbles, to be updated semi regularily.
1. Overdressed

**A/N**: The first of several Draco, Luna, Draco/Luna, and general HP drabbles that I shall be posting over the next few months. Have no fear, Frozen Serenity II is coming along nicely, and getting these plot bunnies of mine out in short little drabbles helps it along even faster, because I spend less time beating them off with my on-topic stick . :)

Most will be written for the weekly drabble challenges over in the Unredeemed (dot) net forums. That thread is a must read.

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Draco smoothed down his hair in front of the mirror in the Entrance Hall of Malfoy Manor. He had just begun to admire his new silver silk ascot tie, when his grandmother Druella Black came up behind him. He turned his head slightly to look at her. The past few years had been especially unkind to the older witch. Lines had appeared out of nowhere on her once smooth face. 

"What are you staring at?"

He didn't answer her.

"Don't you think you're a little overdressed?" she asked, eyeing him up and down.

He was wearing dress robes, as specified by the invitation. She on the other hand, was wearing plain black everyday linen robes, which had faded considerably. He suppressed the urge to tell her she was underdressed, and simply waited there in the Hall until his mother arrived elegantly attired in forest green brocade.


	2. Lamé

Lucius looked down in dismay at his first-born son.

"Explain to me Narcissa, dear… Why have you got Draco wearing this frilly, lacey, silver lamé gown? He looks like an overdressed doll."

Narcissa rushed over and snatched up the baby out of his bassinet and clutched him protectively to her chest.

"He does _not_ look like an overdressed doll! It's the latest fashion in infant robes this year," she exclaimed a little _too_ defensively.

Lucius groaned and walked out of the room, hoping she hadn't spent as much on that atrocious outfit as he suspected.


	3. Sand in my Shoes

"Draco, there's _sand_ in my shoes!" Pansy whined.

"You didn't have to come here. Go back home," he retorted icily.

Pansy sped up so that she could keep up with him.

"Why do you come here all the time? It's _boring_… There aren't any shops!"

Draco sped up so that he wouldn't have to listen to her irritating voice directly in his ear. He didn't care about shops or getting sand anywhere… he remembered a night two years previously when he had had plenty of this same sand in... interesting places.

"I came here to be _alone_."

Pansy stopped trying to keep up with him, and left in a huff. Headed for Diagon Alley, no doubt. He let out a sigh of relief, and proceeded to the rock where he had first met Luna.


	4. House Pride

Draco passed a witch in the hallway, who was wearing an absurd hat with a lion on top. He stopped walking and turned to stare. She seemed to feel his eyes on her, and she looked in his direction as he raised an eyebrow at her.

As he continued to look at the hat, it yawned widely as if bored. "Showing your House pride?"

She smiled serenely. "No, I'm showing my support for my friends in Gryffindor. You're Seeker for Slytherin."

She was insane. "So?"

"Are you playing today?" she asked, seemingly genuinely interested.

"I have other things to do."


	5. Exuberant

Ginny had come to pick up her friend before Bill's wedding. She had invited her to keep her company, as Ron and Hermione were rather busy lately.

Luna's father knocked on the door and told his daughter that Ginny was waiting for her.

"I'll be right out!" came the muffled response from inside. After a minute of thuds, crashes, and yelps, Luna emerged from her room. Her hair was done up beautifully in a pile of ringlets on the top of her head, and sparkled in the light. She had even put on some lipstick and mascara. Her dress robes, on the other hand were not as exuberant as usual and slightly dishevelled, as if she had just thrown them on. Which, Ginny thought, was probably not far from the truth.


	6. Lissom & Ingenué

Draco wandered the halls aimlessly, trying to rid himself of the mental image Pansy had just supplied him with. _Lissom_ indeed... He just needed a distraction...

When he rounded a corner in the corridor, he spotted a witch Spell-o-taping a piece of parchment up to a notice board on the wall. He swaggered over to her, and read what it said over her shoulder.

_I would greatly appreciate it if the following items could be returned to me (Luna Lovegood) before the end of term:_

He took a step back as she turned around. She didn't seem at all unnerved that he was standing so close. The look in her eyes was ingenué as she smiled brightly at him. He forgot all about Pansy.


	7. Cocksure

_What_ gave him the right? The nerve? In front of _everyone_? I hope she gives him a piece of her mind. She never wanted to kiss in public when she had been dating him. So, that time behind the tapestry was different. No wonder Potter hadn't taken his side. He was just so cocksure about everything. He was Quidditch captain, so he was on the team no matter what. He had the best bloody broom out there. He had enough O.W.L.s to get the career he wanted. He was the Headmaster's pet student. He was a pureblood. He had _Ginny_.


	8. Gossamer

Draco watched his daughter closely. Diana was truly her mother's child. She was skipping along the garden path, iridescent bubbles blossoming from her _real_ wand, which she had received for her ninth birthday. She had made her own robes out of actual gossamer using a spell she had invented herself. Her hair flew free behind her as she skipped up to him.

"Daddy, will we ever see Mommy again?"

He paused a long time before answering her. "I'm afraid that you might get to see her before I do, sweetheart."


	9. Mesalliance

Luna reminisced with him on a warm summer night.

"I did everything for you," she told him.

"How so?" he asked her as he lounged in a nearby chair.

"I gave that third year girl Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder because I knew you'd confiscate it from her… I didn't stay in front of the Room of Requirement to stop you on your mission, because I trusted you'd do the right thing in the end… I kept my father from publishing your involvement in Professor Dumbledore's death… I gave up the only friends I ever made to be with you…"

"I gave up my inheritance, my name, and my sanity to be with you…" He informed her, with a slight smirk on his face, despite the empty feeling never being able to see his mother again had created in the pit of his stomach. He didn't care what his father said. A marriage with Luna was _not_ a mesalliance.


	10. Pretentious

Longbotttom had just won ten points for Gryffindor. They had _won_. The _House Cup_. Every House except Slytherin cheered. Draco could see Potter elbow Weasley and point in his direction, no doubt gloating with that bloody pretentious look on his face. He felt the people around him begin to sulk and shift uncomfortably in their seats. They hated losing just as much as he did.

He'd have to up Potter next year. He'd get on the Quidditch team and equip everyone on it with the latest broom so that he didn't have to suffer the embarrassment of someone flying on an ancient Cleansweep One. He would not lose again to Potter , not with Luna in Slytherin next year. The two of them would rule the school.


	11. Radiant

Draco stood in front of the door to the Room of Requirement, a ball of nerves. He couldn't stop shaking. The hair on the back of his neck was standing on end. Fenrir Greyback gave him the creeps, and the other Death Eaters weren't helping the situation. They all seemed to be excited at the prospect of Draco killing Dumbledore. He held the Instant Darkness Powder in one hand, and his Hand of Glory with a lit candle in it gripped tightly in the other. He knew once he opened the door, he'd have to act fast in order to use the powder and the Hand to guide the people behind him to the Astronomy tower. The flickering light wasn't radiant at all. Instead, it wavered just like his resolve at what he was about to do.


	12. Banquet & Sobriquet

Luna had always wanted a sobriquet. She knew that once she entered Hogwarts, one of her fellow classmates would probably give her one. She had waited patiently for someone to notice her in her first year. No one really did. They were all worried about the heir of Slytherin and the Chamber of Secrets. Her second year rolled around, and still no nickname. It wasn't until her third year, when she had mustered up the courage to ask Draco to the Yule Ball, that she received one. The normally cold and collected blonde boy had looked like he was seriously considering the offer when Pansy stomped up behind her, simply furious.

"Loony Lovegood! You're pathetic. Do you think that he would actually ever truly want to be seen in public with you? Your family is a laughing stock thanks to your father's magazine. Go back to whatever corner you've been hiding in for the last two years and leave Draco alone. You don't deserve someone like him. You're nothing."

Luna turned and left. While she walked away, she heard Pansy begin to ask Draco to the banquet. She made sure she was around the corner before she let any tears fall.


	13. Mountebank

David Lovegood had been approached by several women since the death of his wife. After the first few, he could tell a mountebank from someone with genuine interest. The only problem was, there wasn't anyone with genuine interest. They just wanted his money, or to use him as another rung on the ladder as they climbed socially. He refused to socialize with any eligible witch then, and created The Quibbler.

After he published the interview with Harry Potter, he knew he had to hire someone for public relations to deal with the onslaught of owls and visits by Floo powder, so that he could continue to work on what mattered. He was extremely reluctant in hiring a witch that was so attractive, but she was qualified for the job.

Now that Luna had started her fifth year, he didn't want to distract her from her studies. He just had to find a way to tell his daughter that he was truly in love for the first time since her mother was alive.


	14. Kabufuda

Cho Chang was glad that no other witch from her year had stayed over the Christmas break. She sifted through the small stack of presents at the foot of her bed, to retrieve the one from Michael. The wrapping paper was off in seconds, she was dieing of curiosity to see what he got her. A rectangular object tumbled onto her lap. She picked it up and looked at it. Playing cards. She had seen them before, Japanese Muggles played with them. Kaboo… no… Kabufuda… Hadn't she told him that her parents were originally from China? She shook her head, and retrieved the rest of her gifts, hoping they were something that she might actually desire.


	15. Memory

Draco sat under a tree by the lake, the bark of the trunk digging into his back.

"You shouldn't be outside alone."

He turned to face the speaker. A blonde Ravenclaw girl had appeared out of nowhere.

"Neither should you," he retorted as he started to get up.

"Don't get up. I won't bother you. I just came to see if you were alright."

At that moment, he had been contemplating what other spells he could try on the Vanishing Cabinet and didn't want to be disturbed. Her words made him lose his concentration.

"Why would you care if I'm alright or not?" he asked, studying her face.

"You already know the answer to that." She replied, which didn't answer his question at all. She glanced down at the bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans in his hands.

"Do you still eat those?" she inquired of him, peering into the bag. "Apparently not, there are quite a few left."

"Those are all the green and black ones. I never eat those." He drawled, wondering when she'd go if she said she wouldn't bother him.

"How come?"

"I don't remember. Are you going to leave me alone, or do I have to go into the Forbidden Forest to find a quiet spot?" Draco demanded, starting to get irritated. He had been patient long enough.

When he looked up at her, however he was startled. She was smiling at him.

"I'll leave you alone, if you give me all the grass and black pepper beans you have in that bag." She told him, with an amused tone to her voice.

He shoved it at her, glad to get rid of her. It wasn't until she was halfway back to the castle when he recalled why he never ate the green or black beans.


	16. Bring Me To Life

He was sadistic and cruel, far more than his own father had ever been. He was without a soul... at least a normal one. Draco wanted to protect her from him. He felt the best way was to push her away from himself so that she wouldn't be sucked into the abyss with him. He refused to see her, and stopped answering her letters. After Dumbledore was dead and he had fleed from the scene that had become much easier.


	17. Gnawish

Luna rubbed her belly as she gingerly sat down at the dining table. She glanced over at Draco, who was completely immersed in conversation with Blaise and his mother. She smiled to herself, thinking it was good to see him socializing again.

Luna ignored Narcissa's evident disdain at the lack of servants, and the presence of her pregnant daughter-in-law in the same room. She was glad to finally be off her feet and sit down to a good meal. She had been gnawish for at least an hour already. Almost as soon as she had taken her place, Draco's gaze landed upon her and he began the meal.


	18. Amortentia

Draco wanted to kick something, hard. He hated losing, most of all to that bloody Potter. He had done everything he could to win that Felix Felicis, and he had been outdone anyway. He had expected Granger to be his only real competition in that class... The lesson was driving him mad. Right after a fifth year Ravenclaw passed him in the corridor, he could swear that he could smell that stupid Amortentia again. At least he had the idea of how to get Crabbe and Goyle as lookouts for him, without anyone noticing. With that thought in mind, he headed to the library to take out _Moste Potente Potions_.


	19. Gem

As Draco walked out of Greenhouse Seven after a gruelling Herbology lesson, he spotted Loony Lovegood drifting out of the Forbidden Forest. She was followed by a group of classmates, who were pointing and chuckling at her behind her back. Even from the distance, he could make out that there was a slight stiffness to her step. She was trying hard to ignore the laughter.

When she spotted him drawing near to the younger students, she abruptly changed direction and headed to the lake on the pretence of suddenly finding something interesting near the water.

Did she think he'd join in and harass her too?

Two of the three boys that had followed her out of the forest continued to chuckle, while another produced his wand and pointed it at her back. Draco stopped in his tracks and watched, curious as to what they were up to.

As he looked on, the flap on Lovegood's book bag lifted up, and a small drawstring pouch floated out of it into the outstretched hand of the boy holding the wand.

"Ten points from Ravenclaw." The words were out of his mouth before he knew what he was saying. The four wizards all stood there in slightly shocked silence. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that Lovegood had turned around and was studying him with utmost interest.

"I'll need to confiscate that as well, Corner." Draco announced, trying to appear as though he had intended to take points in the first place. He received dirty looks from everyone else but Lovegood as Michael thrust the pouch at Draco.

"I wouldn't have thought that a Weasley's discarded leftover would want to draw attention to himself," he sneered at Corner as they gave him a wide berth on their way into the castle. He made the mistake of glancing in Lovegood's direction, and saw a look of uncertainty mixed with something that was almost like hope in her protuberant eyes.

She made her way towards him, but he couldn't move his feet for he was still in shock at his own actions. She smiled at him and looked him dead in the eye.

"Thank you… I hope you don't have to do it, you know."

"Know what?" he asked, incredulously.

"Hurt him. He gave you that Prefect badge, not Professor Snape." She paused and studied his reaction before continuing. "I had hoped I was wrong, but after the way you've been acting every time he's actually at a meal, and the absences from Quidditch even though most people with half a brain could figure out that you enjoy it so much and wouldn't voluntarily quit playing, and the lack of harassing Harry, Hermione, and Ron so far this year, and your facial expression just now, I know that I'm correct. You can keep what's in there," she explained, pointing to the bag in his hand before she left him silently contemplating her words.

When he opened the pouch, he saw several different flowers that had been Charmed into various precious and semi-precious gems. A saffron bud made out of amethyst and ruby, a lily out of rose quartz and jet, and a rose of pale green jade. Slytherin green.

She was nutters. She was obviously an excellent witch if she could create the contents of the bag that he was holding. She was smart, and observant. She had already guessed the orders he had to follow and didn't just assume he'd follow through on them. She was dotty, so no one would believe her even if she did decide to tell anyone. Although, he had the sinking feeling that she wasn't as crazed as people actually made her out to be.


	20. Distractions

Every time he tried to make his way to the Room of Requirement, something prevented him. Five times that night, it had been Pansy wanting help with various assignments that weren't due for days. Twice it had been a member of the Quidditch team, asking him when they could expect him at practice. Once, Crabbe had forgotten his flask of Polyjuice Potion and had fallen asleep on his bed trying to locate it in the covers.

As a result, he was in a rather foul mood when he reached his destination. He closed the door and leaned against it for a moment, thankful to finally be alone and able to have the chance to work on repairing the cabinet.

"Erm… excuse me, but you're blocking the door…" a rather tranquil voice informed him from behind.

He whirled around and laid eyes on a bizarre witch wearing glasses that could not possibly lend themselves to aiding vision. She was vaguely familiar…

She smiled dreamily at him. "If you have a problem, I think the solution to it is right in this room."

He blinked.

"There's all sorts of interesting items in here, not to mention books on practically every subject… I just found a temporary replacement quill. My last one was taken today, and all of the other girls in my year seem to be on their last quill as well…"

"Why are you still talking to me? Did I give you permission?" he snapped at her, feeling even more irritated than before.

"No, you did not give me permission to speak to you. It's just common courtesy to make small talk. Besides, I have to find something to do whilst you're blocking the door to the corridor outside," she explained as though it was painfully obvious. Then he realised that it _was_ obvious. He stepped aside, and watched her disappear as the door closed behind her.

He then begrudgingly began to search for a book on repairing magical transporting objects.


	21. Celebration

Luna attempted to sit down, but it was rather difficult. She was dressed up as the Fountain of Magical Brethren for the Halloween banquet that was held at the Parkinson's that year. The bottom of her robes was the basin. The creatures from the fountain were attached at various places on the rest of her outfit, and charmed to appear as though they were had water spewing out of them.

Once she managed to come to a somewhat comfortable position on the edge of a chair in a sitting room, she stayed still for quite a while. So long in fact, that someone mistook her for an actual fountain.

"I wish that I'll meet someone decent at one of these parties." Luna heard a boy mutter, before tossing a sickle in her basin. It was then that she turned and greeted him, not at all deterred by the fact that his cold grey eyes took in her costume with distaste. It had been her father's idea and design, anyway.


	22. Expectation

Hermione told herself to calm down, but nothing she tried worked. She ended up crumpled to the floor, leaning against a statue of armour. She couldn't believe herself. After all this time, she had just given up. Wasn't she a Gryffindor? Couldn't she tough things out? But then, that meant facing _her_ again. She shuddered. Perhaps quitting wasn't always a bad thing, especially if it meant no more Divination class.


	23. Contradiction

"Now what you have to do is play hard to get. Take myself for instance. I wouldn't have been able to land Draco if I didn't pretend not to notice his every move."

Draco, who had been ready to leave the library stopped in his tracks before walking out from between two stacks of books. Land him, did she? He tried not to laugh out loud. She had the wrong idea completely. No one had _landed_ him… even if he did spend an increasingly longer time having pointless discussions with a certain younger blonde Ravenclaw, instead of working on schoolwork.


	24. Education & Communication

Luna normally received her copy of The Quibbler a week before it was distributed anywhere. This year however, it took an exceptionally long time for them to arrive because of the Ministry's extra involvement at the school. When they did, they were usually torn and creased. The binding was always broken. She didn't mind, though. It was generally how they looked when she was done with them anyway. One day when she was walking back from the Owlery, she wished that parcels didn't arrive looking the same way. Her birthday present for Ronald looked quite tattered when she gave it to him.


	25. Fear

Some people said that she was doing it out of fear.

The fear of being alone?

She was an attractive witch once she opted for stylish things, instead of those her father gave her and she felt guilty if she didn't wear. She was brilliant, and had been top of her year in every class except Defence Against the Dark Arts, which Ginevra took credit for. If she had so desired, she could have had her pick of many wizards. It wasn't likely that she would have lived her life as a single witch.

The fear of being poor?

She had enough money from her inheritance alone to never have to worry about working.

No… Luna had almost everything she could possibly hope for. The last thing she wanted, she would get that very day. She wasn't marrying Draco out of fear. She was doing it because she loved him.


	26. It had been a long year

It had been a long year. Luna was exhausted. Her only reprieve had been the postponement of her O.W.L.s. Unfortunately, even that came at a price. Dumbledore was gone. So was Draco.

The loneliness she felt was suffocating her. She could no longer go to the Room of Requirement to meet with the D.A. or Draco. She wouldn't look down at her enchanted galleon and know that she could be off to a secret meeting that night. She couldn't sit next to Draco, doing both her homework and his as he endlessly tinkered with that cabinet. She might never again feel the brush of his lips against hers. Their first and only kiss might have been their last.

Everyone was still mourning Dumbledore's death. She couldn't voice her worries about not knowing where Draco was, or her fears that he might not even be alive. If she did confide in her one and only friend, she would lose not only the trust of her first love, but her relationship with Harry as well.


	27. Triumph & Change

Draco couldn't help but feel pleased with himself. It had taken 15 years, but he had finally won a Quidditch match against Potter. At a pub afterwards as he was celebrating with his team mates, a pretty witch walked in by herself and sat down nearby. Apparently she was the only one in the building who hadn't heard the news, because she seemingly ignored their cheers. He strode up to her, as he did so she looked up at him. She looked familiar… "Congratulations, Draco. I always thought you should win at least one game against him…" she smiled at him, and excused herself to the ladies'. One of the beaters turned around on his stool and said "That Lovegood's become really fit. If she wasn't so nutters, I'd want to get to know her better." His teammate turned back around, and left him to his thoughts. Draco sat down at Luna's table and waited for her to return momentarily. He didn't think she was so nutters…


	28. Parting, Division, Nunc Aut Nunquam

Narcissa knew this day would come, but she had put it out of her mind. After all, Draco seemed to be so genuinely happy for once. They had spent months getting ready, but she didn't feel at all prepared for any of it. Anxiety filled her, and she had spent the last week constantly nauseous. Then the time finally came, and Draco was ready to use his gift. The most expensive broom money could buy. A real one and not just a toy, one that would take him up far above the roof top of the manor. Just thinking about her darling so high above her without her there to hold his hand was enough to make her tremble. A part of her wanted to hold him back, but she knew that he would eventually fly at Hogwarts, so it was better if she was there. When he kicked off from the ground, all the training paid off. He flew wonderfully. A smile lit up his face, and she felt relieved. He would be all right.


	29. Insincerity

"I love you, Draco Abraxas Malfoy."

Draco turned to look at her. Tears were streaming down her face. He had never seen her cry before. His gut feeling told him that she wasn't being insincere. Any anger he felt at her going to Slughorn's party with Potter dissipated. No one except his mother had ever told him that they loved him. He took the present she held in her outstretched hand.

Not putting it down, he closed the gap between them and wrapped his arms around her.

"We probably shouldn't meet here anymore… it's too dangerous." he whispered.

"I know. From now on, I'll leave you to your task."

"Luna…"

"Goodbye, Draco."


	30. Indefatigable & Stubborn

Draco had wondered on numerous occaisions when Luna would ever get tired of him. Witches usually did, especially when he didn't want to talk, most especially about his feelings. She just kept being her usual self, never asking what he was thinking or what he thought of her outfit or hair. She never asked him such things. Instead, she asked things like what it might be like for people who had been Kissed, or what his favourite hex was… Bizarre, really. He wanted to wait to see how long it would take her to tire of him. He even went so far as to marry her and have several children and she never changed towards him one bit. She was infatigable in that respect. She intrigued him, and the longer they spent together, the more he realised that she would never tire of him. Perhaps because she could be as stubborn as a Malfoy at times, or perhaps because she was truly unique and loved him for him and not what she thought he should be.


	31. Forgetfulness & Christmas

Neville had been getting better and better at remembering things. This did not prevent him from the occaisional slip up, however.

When he stumbled across Draco hovering a bunch of mistletoe over Luna's head in the Charms classroom as he entered to retrieve his forgotten notes, he fought the urge to hex Malfoy. He was still frozen in the spot, debating whether or not to pull his wand on Malfoy when Luna spoke.

"I told you… the Nargles… I don't like mistletoe…"

Malfoy let the mistletoe drop on the floor with a soft chuckle. Luna kicked it away, before he put his arms on either shoulder.

"Now where were we?" He asked, amusement in his voice.

Luna leaned up to kiss him. "Somewhere here…"

Neville's jaw dropped and he exited the room silently. If it hadn't been the middle of winter, he would have sworn that what he had just witnessed an April Fool's joke.


	32. Expectant & Inspiration

Luna didn't regret her decision of keeping her baby. After all, it would be the only new Malfoy born otherwise, as Draco had died a few short months after she became pregnant. Thankfully, both she and Draco had blonde hair and pale eyes, so no one would be able to guess the father by looking at the child. A month before she was to give birth, she got the inspiration to paint a picture of a castle, an eagle and a snake (the latter of which she disguised as a twisted tree that the eaglewas perched on). She didn't dare announce who the father was. Draco had been labelled a traitor, even though he had helped the Order of the Phoenix at the last moment. He was redeemed in her eyes, and she would tell their unborn son that when he was old enough. Luna hated to think that he would think badly of his father.


	33. Facing Fears

"We need to get him to the Hospital Wing!" Hermione exclaimed.

"We can't float him up there. It's too dangerous. Can't you hear the noise up there? The Death Eaters are loose in the castle." She calmly walked over to a shelf in Snape's office and began studying the contents.

"What are you doing? He needs help! We have to get him the Hospital wing and join the others!"

Luna turned around and drifted towards the older girl as she continued to babble on.

SMACK!

Hermione cradled her cheek with one hand, her eyes watering.

"I know you're frightened for them up there. So am I. Losing control over yourself won't help them any… I've got something that should wake him up if he just fainted."

She unscrewed the lid of a jar, and held it under Flitwick's nose. Nothing, not even a twitch and she herself was ready to sneeze. She had been afraid of that. It was some sort of spell, but the only one that came to mind that would knock someone out like this was a Stunning Spell…


	34. Music

Luna drifted out of Slughorn's party, humming a tune and not paying attention to her surroundings. So much so, that she entered the first toilet she came across without glancing at the door. "I can't do this any more. I'm alone! No one can help me!" said a somewhat hysterical male voice from inside one of the stalls.

Luna stopped in her tracks and ceased her humming. That almost sounded like Draco Malfoy...

"You're not alone. I'm here."

"Fat lot of good you are. You're dead. You can't help me." he retorted, before flinging open the stall door. He looked ready to storm out of the toilet, except that Luna was standing in the way.

Myrtle floated out of the stall behind him, and looked quite surprised to see her there. "What are you doing here, this is a boys' loo!"

"I could ask you the same question."

"Get out of my way, Lovegood."

"Wait! You should put a memory charm on her. What if she tells what she heard you say?"

"I didn't say anything incriminating, besides which, how could she explain why she was in a boys' toilet?"

Myrtle's lip quivered, and she went wailing into a nearby sink. Draco watched her leave with an expressionless face.

"I think... that you're not alone. There are people willing to help you if you simply ask."

He scoffed. "Are you willing to help me in my task, even though you don't know what it is?"

She pondered for a moment before answering. "Yes, I would. Despite what a horrible person you are sometimes, I know you have _some_ redeeming characteristics."


	35. Mixing Memory And Desire

Luna was lost in imagining she was in an entirely different world. One where the former headmaster was still alive, and Draco was not a fugitive. In her imaginings, she and the prince of Slytherin were enjoying each other's company, laughing and having stimulating conversations. They would go out every now and then, he would introduce her to his family and friends and she would do the same. Then they would go back to one of their homes and spend quality time together. She was so lost in her fantasy, upon entering her bedroom in the Lovegood home for the first time since the school year had finished, she didn't think anything of seeing Draco lounging in a chair, waiting for her.


	36. Now For Something Completely Different

Crumple-Horned Snorkacks are known for being shy. However, they are also extremely loyal. When a stranger entered Luna's room, Sigrid kept a close watch on him, pretending to be a stuffed animal. He stayed for a week before Luna returned from school. When she did, Luna didn't realise it at first. Sigrid was ready to pounce on him should he try to attack the girl. The two quickly said a few words to each other before the boy began to attack Luna with his mouth. One hop, and Sigrid was on the floor. Luna seemed to be defending herself well, the boy was out of breath. Another hop, and she had landed on the foot board of the bed. The two broke apart when they heard Luna's father call her name. Luna quickly scanned the room with a dazed expression on her face. When she spotted Sigrid, she looked at her pleadingly. She took that to mean that Luna wanted her to distract her father, so she squeezed under the door, hopped onto Mr. Lovegood's shoulder and began to hum a tune. He was sufficiently distracted that he went down the stairs, joining in the humming even though he didn't know the song. With her acute hearing, Sigrid was able to hear urgent but hushed whispers upstairs.


	37. Crimson

Hearing her father's voice had been as affective as a bucket of ice water to cool off Draco's amorous intentions. He had to focus on why he had gone to Luna's home in the first place.

"I'm not here to snog you senseless." he whispered to her.

She floated over to her bed and sat down on it. He followed suit.

"Do you want me to hide you here? When the Ministry is after you? My father doesn't have any sway with them… not after all the stories about them he has run in The Quibbler."

The thought had crossed his mind, but no. He had to get back to Snape and the Death Eaters before too much time had passed. However, her cheeks and lips that had flushed crimson after their embrace were not helping his resolve any.

"Greyback." he said plainly.

She looked confused. "Your Dad ran an article about him a while back. Greyback saw you a week ago when he and the other Death Eaters came into Hogwarts. He wants… to infect females now, too."

"Females such as myself?"

Draco nodded.


	38. At Night

Luna stood in front of the small thicket of trees behind her child hood home. The wind blew her hair in her face, and brought the stench of rotting blood to her sensitive nose. Greyback was nearby. She shivered with fear, because no amount of preparation had proved useful in calming her nerves.

There had been a front-page article in _The Daily Prophet_ two days after Draco had visited her. It had detailed how a Muggle had found his mangled body, and the ensuing cover up. The article had sounded positively _ecstatic_ that the heir to the Malfoy family was deceased. She wouldn't forgive the author until he published an apology. She had live to make sure that happened. People just couldn't publish _anything_ they wanted. She was sure her father would never publish something that was complete and utter rubbish.

When Greyback finally appeared in front of her, ready to make her the first female werewolf in decades, he wasn't expecting her to be prepared. He lunged at her, but she found herself unable to move. When he tried to bite her neck, he yelped in pain and curled up into a ball next to her. Draco had given her a silver necklace for Christmas, and she had charmed it to look like her butterbeer cork necklace so no one would notice her wearing it. Even in death, he had saved her. This thought, along with the strength that she had always felt when bathed in the light of the full moon gave her the resolve she needed to snap out of her revere, point her wand at the beast beside her and successfully perform the Homorphus Charm.


	39. Dawn

Narcissa had not brought up Draco to be just like his father. He seemed to pick up Lucius' habits and traits all on his own. This surprised her, especially since Lucius spent little time at home with his family. This was of course except for the appearances he would make at meal times, outings, and various functions in the pure-blood community.

It was even more of a surprise to her that his daughter should act as Draco did when he was that age. His son was like his mother, however. A little too much of a free spirit at times. Since Narcissa had taken in the pregnant wife of her deceased son, she had become much more grounded. Under her mother-in-law's tutoring, she had also become more sophisticated, articulate, and cultured. The newest generation of Malfoys would be a credit to the family.


	40. Boat

He heard laughing from the upstairs, and he went to see what had his son giggling so profusely. When he reached the top of the steps, he saw a certain blonde-haired witch peering around the door to the bathroom, with her wand pointed at the tub where the toddler was. Apparently, she was making his toy boat sail around in the tub, much to his delight. She had a soft smile on her face, and she kept putting a stray lock of hair behind her ear, which kept falling out of its place. He had longed to touch her hair since he had first interviewed her for the position of Nanny, but he knew that he could not. He was a Malfoy, and married to someone else. It was a great bitterness to him that the son in the bath tub was not theirs together. She had married another, and had given birth to a girl with _him_. He had one consolation. The Malfoy name would be passed on, while the Lovegood name would die with _him_.


	41. Harry Potterverse Creature

"I never should have married you," Narcissa informed her husband before storming out of the room. Lucius quickly followed suit, apparently not wanting her to get the last word in the argument.

Left behind in the room was an apparently calm Luna and an irritated Draco.

"I take it that means we have to address it from 'Mr Lucius Malfoy & Mrs Narcissa Malfoy' rather than 'Mr & Mrs Lucius Malfoy' on the envelopes..."

"Just listen to them screeching away at each other like a bunch of Augureys."

"I told you we should have eloped."

"There's still time left to..." Draco replied, smirking.


	42. Patience

"Give it to me, you little brat!" Marietta snarled at Scorpius.

The curious toddler had grasped her teacup saucer and was sucking on it, and looking up at her in wonder as she attempted to pry the small dish from his tiny hands.

Patience was not one of her virtues.

Draco sighed. Living with his wife who didn't know how to act around children was exceedingly difficult. If only he had been... different, _she_ might have married him instead.

She had waited three months in the dungeons of his parents' manor for him to return and help her to escape. Potter and Weasley were there for mere _minutes_ and she was free and had disappeared before he had had a chance to do anything.

The only time she had come near him since then was to console him when Crabbe died. She had been thoughtful and sincere, even saddened at the death of one of his friends. Although perhaps her tears were not caused by the passing of Crabbe, but instead the death of what could have been between them...


	43. Mystery Man & Why

Luna had wondered with whom she had been placed in a dungeon room, beneath the Malfoy Manor. It took her several days and sharing her rations with him for the elder wizard to trust her enough to speak to her. It was then that Mr. Ollivander told her to abandon all hope of being rescued. The only thing to look forward to in this forsaken place was a speedy death.

She questioned him as to why this was, when there was so much to live for. Even after months of captivity, torturing and malnourishment, her enthusiasm for life wasn't dampered one bit. Sure, she missed her mother… but that didn't make her morbidly depressed and wish that she could join her. In actuality, it was that very same fact that gave her the strength to carry on, even as others fell nearby, months later during the battle for Hogwarts. It gave her strength to use the wand Ollivander had fashioned for her after their rescue. Who would have thought that she could pass on her own zest for life to a man that had given up on everything and everyone in the world?


	44. Fingers

Luna had always pondered over things such as life, death, or why some people crossed their arms right on top of left instead of left on top of right. Since her incarceration in the Malfoy manor, she had more time to ponder over such things. Things such as why it was dark and underground and yet she couldn't smell any mould… or why the frail old man sharing her cell seemed to see her as a ray of sunshine and hope when she hadn't been more miserable… or why she had gone against her better judgement and had met Draco on the Hogwarts Express in that room for extra trunks and animal cages… Why she had allowed him to hold her hand and let their fingers intertwine… Why she hadn't tried to get away when he said he was sorry for taking her away from her family… Why she didn't guess that as he kissed her one last time that his robes were a portkey that would take her as far from everything she knew and loved as it was possible to be… She had plenty of time to ponder… Why?


	45. ARGH!

How was he supposed to enter the Room of Requirement, with that loony idiot inspecting every stone on the wall where it would appear? His impatience got the better of him, as it usually did and he stomped over to her.

"Clear off! I'm a Prefect!"

The girl continued her inspection, without noticing him.

"I said clear off!"

"I heard what you said. But I don't have to do what you say..."

One of his eyebrows twitched in irritation.

"Give me one good reason why you don't have to listen to a Prefect?"

She turned and smiled dreamily at him. It was then that he noticed it... the small Prefect's badge pinned to the front of her robes.

"Who'd you steal that from?"

"I didn't steal it. The fifth year Ravenclaw Prefect from my year was taken out of school by her parents, so I took over for her. Besides which, if you want to use the Room of Requirement, all you have to do is ask me politely to leave."

He contemplated pretending not to know what she was talking about, but then decided against it. She wouldn't be able to get in after the door was closed, anyway.

"Clear off... please."

She grinned goofily at him before skipping off down the corridor. Draco watched her go, and shook his head. Absolutely stark raving.


	46. Heirloom

Luna had wept bitterly over the jewelery set her mother had bequeathed to her, when she had first received it. It was a delicate gold necklace, the sapphire pendant carved to look like a quill. The earrings that matched were simple sapphire drops. The week before she was to enter school, she realised she either had to hide the set, or stop wearing it every day, as she had grown accustomed to doing so in the two years since her mother's death. While walking in her front yard two days before September 1st, she stumbled across an idea of how she could continue to wear the sapphires while at school and not draw attention to herself as the sapphire set was famous. The set had belonged to Rowena Ravenclaw's mother, to whom she shared a common ancestor with. Years later, when she gave the set to her eldest grand daughter, she didn't regret the decision to hide them in plain sight. After that day, they were no longer seen as a butterbeer cork necklace or earrings made of Dirigible Plums.


	47. Something Not Celebrated

All that Draco could hear was the clinking of cutlery against the china, accentuated by the ticking of the grandfather clock in the corner of the dining hall. His parents hadn't said a word to him or Luna since their return, when he had told him that they had eloped.

His father probably thought that he was irresponsible and reckless. His mother, on the other hand probably believed that Luna had been the one to orchestrate the whole thing. The truth was that he was sick of his parents' constant bickering over every tiny detail of the wedding plans, and he didn't feel like being the centre of attention for some grandiose event where he would only know a handful of people. During his school years, he had so desperately wanted the attention that Potter had scorned… but somehow when he grew up, that became less important. He had all the attention he wanted from his wife.

Eventually, Luna spoke up and suggested that they host a reception, so that everyone could still be involved in the celebration of their marriage. His mother gladly accepted, and had all ready started regaling Luna with ideas of the types of robes she should wear now that she didn't have to stick to white when his father interrupted and announced that a marriage into a family of people who belonged in St. Mungo's Incurable Ward was not something to be celebrated, before he threw his napkin down onto his plate and stormed out.


End file.
